Clemson opens season with big victory over Georgia

Tajh Boyd threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two others, Clemson's defense sacked Aaron Murray four times and the Tigers stung Georgia 38-35.

By ERIC BOYNTONeric.boynton@shj.com

CLEMSON – More often than not the buildup for a big game falls far short of expectations, but No. 5 Georgia at No. 8 Clemson delivered the anticipated level of chills and thrills on Saturday night.Star players shining bright amidst a flurry of momentum changes, big plays, highs and lows and breathtaking anxiety among those on the field and in the stands. Clemson's 38-35 victory was a good start toward getting to the level coach Dabo Swinney has been promising."This was a great win, it was a gutsy win," Swinney said. "The character and toughness that our guys showed was something special. We were ready to go. We knew this was going to be a slugfest for four quarters. Georgia is a great team and we stood up to them in the trenches when we needed to, got stops when we needed to and ran the ball when we needed to."The little things won the game for us. Our effort and intensity was awesome. This was a team win, everybody did their job and did it well. This was a huge opening game that had a lot of pressure to play perfectly. We didn't do that, but we did find a way to win."It's not the history that Clemson is ultimately intent on making this season, but the Tigers did become the first non-SEC team to defeat an SEC member ranked among the top 10 in consecutive weeks. Of course that covered two seasons in dating back to last year's win over LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl."Those wins definitely show that we can stand in against anybody and play with anybody," Clemson tackle Brandon Thomas said. "Hopefully this puts an end to (skepticism of whether Clemson can consistently compete with the best), but with the media I don't think it will."The usual suspects carried the night with a couple of breakout heroes thrown in for a good measure as Clemson began the quest to change perception of its program as wannabe contenders on the national scene.The battle of veteran Heisman hopeful quarterbacks was at the forefront with Clemson's Tajh Boyd getting the best of it by accounting for five touchdowns. He completed 18 of 30 passing for 270 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing 13 times for 42 yards and two scores. Georgia's Aaron Murray (20 for 29, 323 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception) was unspectacular and looked rattled at times as Clemson's defensive line played better than advertised backed by the thunder of a crazed sold-out crowd."It was crazy," Murray said of the environment. "It was loud, which made communication tough. We expected that and we practiced for it, but it is tough to simulate an environment like this." The running game was a major factor for both teams.Clemson had little idea just exactly what it had in unproven senior Rod McDowell, who had shown flashes of talent, but had previously never been required to be the main ball-carrier. He responded with an all-important 22 carries for 132 yards in showing abundant power to go with his shiftiness."You see so many kids in our program that when their time comes, they excel," offensive coordinator Chad Morris said of McDowell. "And I can't say enough about Tajh Boyd. He played like a veteran quarterback is supposed to play. We had some drops, but he never got rattled, never shook, and his ability to run the ball made us successful."Georgia's Todd Gurley had a 75-yard touchdown run on his first carry, the longest of his career, before sitting an extended time due to an injured thigh. He returned to finish with 12 carries for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Georgia had seven players drafted into the NFL off last year's stout defense while Clemson's continued to be a mystery mash that left both teams suspect against talented offenses. Points aplenty ensued with the two combining for the most points in the history of the 63-game series.After Gurley, who kept his team in the game more than anyone despite battling injuries, tied it at 28-28 for Georgia with 7:41 left in the third quarter, the Tigers scored 10 consecutive points and held the Bulldogs scoreless until only 1:19 remained in the game. Murray's 1-yard plunge at that instance proved to be harmless after Clemson receiver Martavis Bryant snagged a high-hopping onside kick to seal it.Clemson's Chandler Cantanzaro capped an 11-play, 68-yard drive with a 24-yard field goal with 4:46 left in the third to break the tie for a 31-28 lead. The deciding play came on a disputed 9-yard touchdown catch by tight end Stanton Seckinger, who hadn't caught a ball since the first quarter. The sophomore caught a ball in the flat and went wide in diving for the end zone with 7:40 left in the game.Officials ruled he'd stepped out at the 2, but moments later replays on the stadium video-screen revealed he had stayed in-bounds and the crowd erupted when the play was overturned on review and Clemson went up by 10."After catching the ball I looked down for the sideline and kind of got a gauge for where it was and I thought I put my foot down and then saw the pylon and thought I put the ball inside," Seckinger said. "I could've sworn I'd gotten my foot in so when they started to review it I got excited and then got really excited when I saw the big screen confirm it."Oddly the game had begun on a pair of three-and-outs by both schools, but the lack of production was short-lived. The teams combined for three touchdowns in a remarkable 31-second span. Boyd dove in from 7 yards to begin the point parade before Gurley answered on the next play from scrimmage with the aforementioned 75-yard bolt. On the very next play from scrimmage, Boyd found Sammy Watkins for a 77-yard catch and run that ended in the end zone. The play was a career-long completion and catch for both Boyd and Watkins, who turned back the clock to his freshman season with six catches for 127 yards."I think I could've done a little more, but as far as getting the win I thought the offense did our part," Watkins said. "Our offense just came up big-time with completing some passes, running the ball and finishing our blocks."Neither side led by more than seven points until Clemson took command in the fourth quarter up by 10. Clemson's defense rose to the occasion by never allowing longer than a 38-yard pass play even as Gurley was able to get his on the ground. The Tigers' front-four took over the middle part of the game as far as pressure on the quarterback and for once the much-maligned unit suddenly became a difference-maker on par with its much-more valued offense."Clemson did what they had to do to win the football game," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "Both teams played a great game and had bright moments. At least we got it down where we had a shot at an onside kick."

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